Life: A Game of Survival
by It's a maze of jaffas
Summary: Chime's owner died yesterday. Oreo, her best friend and lifelong companion, betrayed her for the she-cat next door. Her once perfect life in ruin, she heads to the city, to the forest, to Hell, on a search for home. Please R/R! I LOVE REVIEWS D


**Life: A game of Survival**

**Chime's owner died yesterday. Oreo, her best friend and lifelong companion, betrayed her for the she-cat next door. Her once perfect life in ruin, she heads to the city, to the forest, to Hell, on a search for home. Please R/R! I LOVE REVIEWS =D**

Chime made her way into the kitchen, where the smell of two-leg food and pellets was strongest. Leaping onto the tough-skin couch, she meowed to her owner. A small old lady shuffled her way over to her and petted her sandy-beige fur. She spoke softly, her faint voice barely audible to even the cat's ears.

"Owner, please let me out." She meowed, running to the wooden door and back. The lady said something again, and opened her gateway to freedom. Mewing a quick thanks, she shot out and took a deep breath of fresh air.

"Hey Chime!" came a familiar meow from the white-wood fence.

"Oh, Hi Oreo. Come down and look at this new tree my owner planted." She replied to the black-white tom who was dangling precariously on the edge of the fence. He leaped in a massive jump and landed at her paws in a cloud of dust. "Careful, you clumsy mouse-brain!" she teased, pouncing onto his back as they rolled in the afternoon sun. When they were thoroughly exhausted from playing, they set out to find shade in the grassy backyard.

"How's Higgs been lately? Is he getting on well with his new neighbours?" she asked drowsily. Oreo sighed before replying.

"Oh, don't get me started on that flea-brain! Winge, winge, winge! That's all he

seems to do these days." Chime thought for a moment.

"But surely Millie and Lily aren't that bad neighbours. Sure they're chatty, but not bad."

"You know what Higgs is like. He has to have something to complain about, or life isn't worth living." Both cats purred at that. A loud banging came from next-door.

"Oops-sounds like dinner time." He made a sour face as he leapt up the fence. Chime didn't blame him. Oreo's owners gave him disgusting brown stuff that tasted like dirt.

"Bye, Oreo!" she waved her tail and smiled as his black tail disappeared over the wall.

The unnatural light flickered over the couch as she crept up on the unsuspecting mouse. It's fluffy pink tail seemed to call to her instinct, and her sky-blue eyes lingered on it's lime green body, every inch of her wanting to kill it. _No,_ she thought, _I have to wait 'till I get clos- _It moved. Before realising what she was doing she managed a gigantic leap, and pierced her claws into it's artificial back. Paws splayed out, she played and tossed it until it fell onto her owner's lap. She leapt up next to the old two-leg and nudged her wrinkly hairless paw. The lady scratched her head as she curled into a ball next to her. Chime loved it when her owner played or patted her. The moment was broken by a fit of coughing, and Chime looked up to see the two-leg red-faced and choking.

"What's wrong? What's happening? What can I do?" she asked, stressing. Her owner had coughed before, but never this bad.

Another minute passed.

And another.

The sky was dark now, night stretching it's icy talons over her now-cold home. The two-leg had stopped coughing and Chime extended a paw to her hand. The watery eyes conrasted the red face in a funny way, but Chime didn't purr. Something was wrong. This was deadly serious. So deadly that her owner mightn't survive. The two-leg stirred, looked into her eyes and mumbled something. She caressed her back in a long stroke and held her paw in her cold, cold bare paw.

It was morning. Dawn light flickered into the room and Chime yawned and tried to stand but realised just in time that her owner still held her paw. Twisting it free, she noticed for the first time that the two-leg was cold. Still. Sightless. Not breathing.

Her life came crashing down on her and she felt that the drenching emotion could take her away like the tide. _It's okay…it's okay…my owner's just napping…just napping… _But nothing she could think would make things right again. She was alone. For the first time in her 8 moon life, she was alone.

A tapping, scratching noise at the door woke her from her thoughts. Shaking her head, she trotted to it but found that it was impossible to open. Blinking away tears, she ran to the old window in the spare-room and found that a small gap had broken through. Squeezing with all her might, she managed to free her lithe body.

"Chime? Chime!" came a startled cry from the door below. A siamese she-cat ran towards her, stopping just in time not to crash into the pot plant. "Why'd you-" she began but finished mid-sentence when realisation hit her. "Oh…I'm so sorry…"

"What's wrong?" Chime rudely demanded, ignoring the other cat's apologies. "Sarsie, I know you only come over when it's important. _Now what is it?_" The cat bent her head own and mumbled something, stepping backwards.

"Oh, um…I-I f-forgot…" she stammered, preparing to run in fright. Chime towered over her and whispered fiercely in her black ear.

"_Well then_ _you'd better remember_," she hissed, unsheathing glinting claws, "_Very_ _quickly…_" The visitor gulped and slid down to the ground and whispered in a barely audible tone.

"O-Oreo was w-with that c-cat again and-and…"

"_AND_ what!" yowled the beige cat, charging into the siamese and bwling her to the ground.

"!-No! Don't hurt me-don't hurt me! I'm-I'm only the messenger!" the siamese pitifully cried, he brown paws covering her blue eyes.

"Then do your job!" hissed Chime furiously. _Doesn't she see how upset I am? Doesn't she realise that I don't have time for or need stupid games? _

"I-He's with Moni again and they-they…told me to tell you, 'I'm running away with Moni. She's the only love of my life and every cat's second to her loveliness. Goodbye… Forever' an-and yeah…" she finished, crouching low and preparing for a death-blow. Instead, all she felt was silence. Silence and the piercing voice of a broken heart. When the young she-cat looked up, all that was left was her alone, in a deserted backyard.


End file.
